Let’s boogie
The LILAC Foundation is hosting a free dance party with Cookies and Karim.
Get set to cut loose with Cookies and Karim (Olivia Ortiz and Karim Martin) at the June 26 LILAC Dance Party. [Photos courtesy LILAC Foundation]
Whatever you may have planned for June 26, you may want to consider putting on your dancing shoes and getting down to the beats of two of Ocala’s favorite entertainers.
The LILAC Dance Party featuring Cookies and Karim will begin at 5:30 p.m. and include cookies, cocktails, a cash bar and beats. Cookies is Olivia Ortiz and Ice Karim is Karim Martin, who have performed individually as well as with the band Left On Broadway.
“Join us for an extended happy hour with music, sweets and a dance floor that starts early and doesn’t take itself too seriously,” the hosting organization, the LILAC Foundation, noted in a news release.
This event is free to attend but donations are welcomed. All bar proceeds will benefit the nonprofit that brings the most guests to shake a leg.
The LILAC Foundation (Lisa Irwin Legacy for Arts & Culture) has three pillars: the nonprofit Arts In Health Ocala Metro; Elevating Futures, in which they invest in initiatives that foster growth, confidence and independence, particularly for women and girls; and Opportunity For All, which supports local individuals who may face barriers by expanding access to the arts, wellness, education and personal growth.
According to Lisa Irwin, like the sewing class the foundation is hosting on June 20, the dance party event started with a simple idea: “Listening to what people in our community said they wanted.”
“After the success of our Galentine’s event in February, people started asking if we could host a dance party every six months. So here we are. And LILAC is always looking for creative ways to bring people together while supporting local nonprofits. The result was this slightly ridiculous idea: cookies, cocktails, disco balls and two DJs playing face-to-face while local nonprofits compete to bring the biggest crowd. Somehow it all made perfect sense,” Irwin said.
“This is not a ballroom event, a line dancing event or a dance competition. It’s really more of an extended happy hour with dancing. Expect a mix of throwbacks, sing-alongs, dance classics and songs that make people look at their friends and say, ‘Oh. my gosh, I haven’t heard this in years,’” Irwin continued. “Our goal is simple: create a fun, welcoming atmosphere where people can dance if they want to, socialize if they want to and not take themselves too seriously.”
She said the foundation has been encouraging local nonprofits to participate as the one that “brings the most guests through the door will receive all proceeds from bar sales that evening.”
“We love the idea because everyone wins. The community gets a fun night out, local nonprofits gain visibility and one organization receives additional funding for its mission,” she affirmed.
Irwin further explained that Cookies and Karim will be performing a face-to-face (F2F) DJ set, which means they will trade tracks live throughout the evening.
“Instead of playing from a predetermined playlist, they’re responding to each other’s selections and building the energy of the room in real time. Because the set is designed as a live musical conversation between the DJs, taking requests would interrupt the flow of what they’re creating together. Part of the fun is not knowing exactly what song is coming next and letting the DJs take everyone on the ride with them,” Irwin noted.
“We’re excited to be responding to something the community has actually asked us to do. By hosting the event early, people can get off work, cut loose for a few hours and then either continue supporting our amazing downtown bars and restaurants or head home, kick off their dancing shoes and call it a night. Friends can probably guess which one I’ll be doing,” she offered.
The dance will take place at the Marion Cultural Alliance’s Brick City Center for the Arts at 23 SW Broadway St., in downtown Ocala.
Although the event is free to attend, reservations are encouraged. Go to zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/lilac-dance-party-featuring-dj-cookies-and-karim-iykyk
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